


Newton's Third Law

by grabdog



Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Tamers
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Airplanes, Budding Love, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Tamers save the day, content warning: airplane disaster, content warning: aviation disaster, content warning: fear of flying, mild teenage swearing, science lessons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:33:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29224746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grabdog/pseuds/grabdog
Summary: Ruki can't tell what's worse: that Jenrya's leaving for college, or that she's trapped on an airplane for the next twelve hours. Of course, that's before a Digimon appears right outside her window... 30,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean.For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Relationships: Lee Jianliang | Henry Wong & Makino Ruki | Rika Nonaka
Kudos: 3





	Newton's Third Law

Ruki hated airplanes. It wasn’t that flightswere long, or boring, or that she was surrounded by people and the air was dry and it smelled funny. It wasn’t even that an airplane trip had, historically meant her mom dragging her to some exotic location and forcing her into silly outfits to take even sillier photos. No, Ruki hated flying because it _trapped her._ Barreling through the air at a billion miles per hour in a metal deathtrap? Nah. Not her idea of fun.

At eighteen, she couldn’t help but be a little embarrassed about her fear of flying. She’d been on countless flights, after all; she tagged along (read: was forced to tag along) with her mother to Europe or China or the United States for modeling gigs a couple times a year, at least til she got old enough to say “no”. It all slowed down in the years following the D-Reaper, though… in fact, this was the first flight she’d been on since _then_.

“It’s because of how the wings are curved, see?” Jenrya leaned over and scribbled a few arrows onto Takato’s hastily drawn airplane (which, of course, was pretty much a masterpiece). On Ruki’s lap, Gigimon peered closer and she once again cursed getting stuck with the middle seat. “The airplane engine provides thrust to push the plane forward, which then creates an air current that flows under the wings.“

“BUT WHY DON’T THEY—”

“SHH! Quite, Gigimon!” Ruki couldn’t tell if Takato’s glare of frustration was aimed at his partner or Jen’s diagram.

“Ah, sorry Takatomon. Why don’t the wings flap like a bird?”

“Because the airflow plus the forward velocity provides enough lift to…” Jen trailed off at Gigimon and Takato’s blank expressions. “Okay, hmm. How about… Do you guys know anything about fluid dynamics?”

“Excuse me, would you like anything to drink?” A flight attendant with salt-and-pepper hair and a kind smile stopped by their row with a cart full of various juices and sodas. Gigimon immediately went limp on Ruki’s lap.

“Ooh, could I get some orange juice please?” Takato asked. “And an extra bag of pretzels… or, like, five…”

Ruki asked for root beer and, after nudging Jen to attention, he asked for tea (“and some extra pretzels, please”).

As the flight attendant reached over the two of them to give Takato his juice, she caught sight of Gigimon and smiled. “Cute toy. You know, my brother still brings a little stuffed bear whenever he flies. He’s a forty-three year old guy with two kids and a nice career, and he still brings it. No shame to being afraid.” She smiled warmly at Ruki, who found herself wishing more than ever that she could just disappear like Renamon.

“Oh, well, he’s actually mine…” Takato laughed nervously, taking the “stuffed animal” back. “You know, no shame or anything…”

The flight attendant, whose name tag read “Moira”, just continued smiling knowingly and poured Ruki’s root beer. Jenrya was still frowning at the airplane diagram and barely noticed when she reached over him to give Ruki her drink. It wasn’t until his tea came that he looked up. “Hey, miss. How would you explain how airplanes fly to a five year old? Actually, make that a three year old.”

The attendant, Moira, looked at the diagram and chuckled. “You know, I have to explain this to my nieces at least three times a year. I always say it’s like a high-five. When you high-five someone, your hand hits theirs but theirs also hits yours. For an airplane, it’s high-fiveing the air with the bottom of its wings. Even when its pushing down, the air is pushing back up.”

“Newton’s third law, right?” Ruki asked, causing Takato to gape at her.

“Wait… how did you know that!?”

“Because I paid attention in high school physics?”

In the aisle, Moira continued chuckling and pushed the cart along. “See? Just remember high school physics and flying won’t be so scary anymore.”

“HEY! I’m not afraid—” Ruki trailed off, the attendant now several rows down. Feeling her cheeks flush, she fell back into the seat and once again wished to disappear.

With the flight attendant gone, Jen angled the diagram towards Gigimon. “See? It’s what the nice lady said— like a high five.”

“Oh, okay! Umm… what’s a high-five?”

Jen’s eye twitched. “Ask your partner.”

\--

Soon the sky became dark and the cabin lights dimmed. Takato had long since fallen asleep, leaned against the window with a snoring Gigimon in his arms. Shivering under the thin airplane blanket, Ruki offered Viximon a place on her lap; the little yellow fox happily obliged and snuggled under the blanket. She always forgot how affectionate her partner’s Baby form was.

Next to her, Jenrya yawned and turned the page of his novel; his lap was conspicuously empty. Unlike Renamon and Guilmon, Terriermon had refused to devolve and was therefore banished to the discrete space on the floor between Takato’s backpack and the wall. Thank god the plane had outlets— he’d spent the last seven hours playing Angry Birds on Jen’s smartphone and was still going strong.

Ruki turned her head to the side, trying to get comfortable in the inevitably uncomfortable airplane seat. God it was going to be a long night. When Jen turned the page again, something about the book cover caught her eye. “Wait, is that a different book?”

Jen glanced at the cover and grinned sleepily. “Yeah. It’s the sequel. I finished the first one an hour ago.”

She yawned. “What’s it about?”

“Stuff you wouldn’t like.”

“Wait, seriously?” she grinned, sitting upright. “Why not? I like genres besides horror, you know…”

“Oh trust me, I know.” Jen put on a look of deep concentration and counted on his fingers. “There’s sci-fi horror… fantasy horror… cult horror… post apocalyptic horror… serial killer horror…”

“Umm, you forgot dark fantasy! That’s not horror!”

“But I said fantasy horror!”

“Hey! It’s different!” She turned her nose up as if horribly offended. “I enjoy a diverse and scholarly range of literature.”

“Is that what they’re calling it nowadays…”

“Viximon! You too!?” Ruki glared at her partner who immeediately pretended to sleep. Jenrya snickered and, desperate to change the subject, Ruki grabbed the novel from his hands. “What is this… _oh my god_. Jen, you’re reading _paranormal romance!?_ ”

Now it was Jen’s turn to blush, and he grabbed the book back quickly. “Hey! Sometimes I just want something light, you know? This is a big life change, and anyway its not all bad, this author actually has some really good character development and tackles mature themes and…” he trailed off, mumbling something about the book being stupid anyway.

She met his embarrassment with a huge, shit-eating grin. He was right, it _was_ a big life change— they were sending him off to university in the United States, after all. And sure, his book probably _was_ just fine, if you’re into that kind of thing. No, what got her was how horribly, utterly, adorably embarrassed the poor guy was. But now he was sinking further and further back into the seat, and that just wouldn’t do.

“Hey, it’s fine! This stuff is fun. What’s the story about?”

Jen frowned, his face still bright red. “Umm, you wouldn’t…”

“No, seriously! It’s fun! What’s the story?”

“It’s, umm…” he snuck a glance at Ruki and, seeing her staring, hurriedly turned back to the novel. “There’s this girl, and she, uh, she meets some dying wolf that turns into a guy and she has to take care of and it ends up being this virus thing…” Jen trailed off. “Like I said, it’s stupid.”

“Hey, not stupid! I mean, that _is_ kinda romantic, plus werewolves are fun…” she caught his eye and winked. “Who knows? Maybe it’ll end up being horror after all!”

Jenrya grimaced, the blush fading. “God, I hope not… I’ll leave the blood and guts to you, Ruki.”

When she shivered again a few minutes later, he insisted she put on his dark orange puffer jacket and, after some convincing (“I swear I’m not cold!”) she relented. Jen wore the jacket so much it was odd to see herself in it; like some intrinsic part of him was now hers, too. The sleeves were too long but the inside was soft from wear and she cozied up in it quickly, more at ease now than she’d been since leaving for the airport.

Ruki dozed off, but at some point Jen’s head ended up on her shoulder and she let him lean into her, his legs jutting out into the aisle. She wondered, in her half-awake state, what it would be like with him overseas. If he’d forget her. If she’d just gotten the courage to tell him. But in that moment, inhaling in her friend’s scent, deep in his warm jacket, her head on his, it didn’t really matter. Hell, maybe flying wasn’t so bad after all.

\--

KKKKKKKKRRRRRSSSSSSSHHHHHHHH

Ruki’s eyes snapped open, adrenaline coursing through her. The cabin was flushed with sunlight now, people were waking up all around—

KRRRRRRRRSHHHKKKKKKKK THUD

Another horrible sound ripped through the cabin, followed by a deep pounding that reverberated through the entire plane. Suddenly the plane lurched, people screaming while luggage banged around in the space above their heads. Oxygen masks dropped down as the pilot’s voice crackled over the intercom: “Alright folks, please stay calm, we’ve hit some unexpected turbulence—” Another bang, and the speaker cut off.

Ruki squeezed Viximon tight to her, eyes darting around the cabin. People were muttering nervously, trying to stay calm— in the back a baby screamed— flight attendants stumbled through the aisles, trying to help passengers into their masks while staying upright against the turbulence. Next to her Jen seemed frozen in shock; he reached for her and she grabbed his hand.

“Guys, look.” Takato was staring out the window, his body tense. “Like, _now_.” He moved his head over so they could see, Jenrya leaning as far as his seatbelt would allow.

“Is that…” Ruki’s eyes widened. The flash of a long, snake-like tail… sharp metal…

“Jennnn!” Terriermon whined, crawling out from under the seat with Jen’s beeping D-Ark in his paws. “This stupid thing woke me up— AHHHHHH!”

Another crash threw Terriermon down and the plane jolted to the side as if hit by something. _Now_ people were screaming, staring out their windows and pointing at the massive creature swimming through the air outside. Takato pulled his own D-Ark out and stared, wide-eyed, at the holographic display. “Giga Seadramon. Ultimate type. Uh, this isn’t normal right?” He turned to Ruki expectantly and, to her horror, so did Jen.

Ruki balked. “Wait, how should _I_ know!?”

“Well you’ve flown so much—”

“NO, of COURSE it’s not normal! It’s a friggin’ digimon attack!” She shuffled around for her own D-Ark and gripped it tightly, trying to suppress the urge to throw up. Of course, Giga Seadramon chose that moment to slam into the plane again; this time, it barely righted itself and the dying _thump_ of its engine was all too obvious.

Viximon tensed in her arms. “Ruki, we need to get out there.”

“Yeah, but _how?”_ Takato squeezed Gigimon, who had tears in his eyes. “We’re basically in a—”

“Metal deathtrap?” Ruki growled. “Yeah. Trust me, I know.”

Jen’s face had gone deadly serious, in stark contrast to Terriermon on top of his head. “You guys, I think we have a serious problem.”

Ruki glanced at the window frantically. “Umm, yeah, obviously, there’s a _Giga Seadramon_ —”

“No. It’s the engine.” He paused, listening to the increasingly violent _thump_ beneath our feet. “It’s not gonna make it.”

Gigimon blinked in fright. “But Jen, what about the high five, can’t we just glide—”

“If the engine dies, we decelerate. Which means the force of the air decreases, which means…”

“We fall,” Takato finished, his face pale. “All of these people fall!”

The three Tamers exchanged glances, as if willing each other to make the first move— because as brave as they tried to be, there was something _so_ unappealing about jumping out of an airplane to battle a digimon at 35,000 feet. Jen had the aisle seat, so he unbuckled first and ducked out. “Okay, we need to—”

“SIT!” a woman’s voice screamed at him, just as the plane lurched horribly and Ruki became _extra_ thankful of her seatbelt. Sure enough, Jen slammed against the row of seats across the aisle (and the family sitting there), apologizing profusely. The woman’s voice shouted something again, some sort of profanity, and suddenly Moira the flight attendant tackled Jen. “GET! IN! YOUR! SEAT!”

“Wait, miss—”

“Oh goddamn—” Ruki ripped off her seatbelt and stumbled into the aisle with Viximon. Takato and Gigimon followed close behind. Before she could say anything Viximon began glowing and rapidly expanded into Renamon.

Now even more people were screaming, pointing fingers at the tall fox; the cabin shook violently as Giga Seadramon’s hide scraped against the underside of the plane. Moira tried to brace herself but couldn’t find a hold; she spilled to the ground, right into the arms of the waiting Renamon. “Hello, Moira. My colleagues and I would like to prevent this airplane from crashing. Could you please point us to the nearest exit?”

Moira’s eyes went wide, her mouth working as she tried to find words. “I— oh my god, you’re— you’re those kids—”

“MISS. The exit!?” Jenrya shouted, his voice cracking. Around them, the thumping of the engine and screech of metal was earsplitting.

“Yeah. Okay, this is happening. There’s the emergency exits but we can’t get them open, they’re pressurized…”

Jen’s face went pale. “And even if we could, it’d be catastrophic at this high of altitude.” Seeing Takato’s confused face, he added “The pressure differential would act as a powerful vacuum and suck everything outside, including oxygen. It’s called explosive decompression.”

Moira nodded along, eyes wide. “This high in the air, it’d be a death sentence for everyone in this plane.”

“But it’s a death sentence if we stay in here too!” Ruki stammered. “The engine’s spent, and Giga Seadramon is still out there!”

Another earsplitting _screech_ and the plane dropped in free fall for a few sickening seconds before righting itself again. Somewhere behind them, a child sobbed loudly.

With a soft glow, Gigimon grew into Guilmon who tugged at his partner’s sleeve. “Takatomon, what if we high five?”

“What— no, Guilmon, this isn’t the time—”

“No, no! A _high five_! Like the airplane wing!”

Jenrya’s eyes widened and he gripped Terriermon tighter (much to the little rabbit’s displeasure). “He’s right. It’s just physics— if we blast out a hole in the plane we could technically plug it with something, as long as it’s as strong or stronger than the pressure differential.”

A manic grin spread over Ruki’s face. “Dukemon’s shield is pretty strong, right?”

“Aegis? Yeah, I guess…” Takato stammered. “…Oh.”

Moira narrowed her eyes at the Tamers. “Let me get this straight. You’re gonna make a hole in the cabin, jump out of a moving passenger jet at maximum altitude, and plug it up with… some digimon shield thing?”

Jen winced. “Well when you put it that way…”

“It’s fine,” she cut in. “Let’s just do this. How can I help?”

\--

It wasn’t hard to figure out who was doing what. Jenrya and Terriermon played the most crucial role, of course— only Saint Galgomon stood a chance of stabilizing the plane and getting it to the ground safely. Takato and Guilmon needed to both blast a hole in the hull and then immediately plug the hole back up, which meant they were staying inside with the passengers. Dukemon couldn’t fly, so they wouldn’t be of much use outside anyway. But Sakuyamon _could_ fly, which meant Ruki and Renamon got to deal with Giga Seadramon. Wonderful.

Miraculously, Moira’s intercom was still working; she explained the plan to the rest of the flight crew. Given that the pilot had spent the last half hour watching a massive digimon circle her plane, she didn’t take much convincing.

“Attention, passengers, make your way to the front of the plane immediately. Again, this is your pilot. Make your way to the front of the plane.” Ruki tried to calm her raging nerves as petrified passengers stumbled down the aisle towards the front. She wasn’t going to the front, of course. As soon as every civilian was as securely fastened as they could be at the front end of the plane, they’d be heading to the back of the plane to, well, jump out.

Someone grabbed Ruki’s hand. Jen. His palm was clammy, racing heartbeat palpable. When she squeezed, he squeezed back. Two rows ahead, Takato clutched Guilmon’s paw as the last passengers stumbled by, followed by Moira. She stopped, allowed them to reach the rest of the crew, then turned to the Tamers. “Okay. Your move.”

Takato took a deep breath and let it out, gripping his D-Ark. “As soon as we make the hole, you guys need to be ready.” With a quick nod from Guilmon he closed his eyes, muttered something under his breath, and the two disappeared in a blinding swell of light.

As Dukemon emerged (and Moira shrieked in surprise), Ruki caught Jen’s gaze. His faec was pale. “We’ll carry you out, yeah?” He squeaked an intelligible response, which was good enough for her. Next to her, she could sense Renamon’s readiness. Hell, the fox didn’t even seem scared.

 _Oh, to be Renamon…_ Ruki thought, gripping her D-Ark and closing her eyes. Good thing she got to, quite literally, _be Renamon_ in a matter of seconds. **“Matrix Evolution!”**

The device let out a single, forceful pulse in her hands that spread across her whole body like a tidal wave. The numbness came first, followed by that familiar sensation of a billion needles pricking into her skin, her insides, every inch of her as her body converted to data, cell by cell. She braced through the pain, suspended and frozen, until it subsided as suddenly as always. The numbness vanished, and this time it wasn’t her body she felt but Sakuyamon’s— and she wasn’t alone.

 _Ruki…_ Renamon’s voice reverberated through them. _Are you ready for this?_

 _Ready as I’ll ever be…_ Ruki’s voice replied. And then the voices faded and Sakuyamon was left.

As long as it seemed to take from the inside, Matrix Evolution was quick; when they opened their eyes, Moira was still very confused and Jenrya was still holding their hand. He looked so small.

“EEEEK! YOU TOO!?” the bedraggled flight attendant gaped at them, ignoring a stammering Dukemon.

“Umm, Miss, you really need to get to the front—”

“Bu—but—b—you’re _kids_ , you can’t just—”

Jenrya put a hand on the woman’s back and gave her a calming smile. “We’ll be fine. And so will you, if you go to the front of the plane.” He gave her a shove. “NOW.” As Moira stumbled down the aisle, the part of Sakuyamon that was Ruki grumbled about how adults always seemed to trust _him, only_.

“It’s because the rest of you are children,” the part of Sakuyamon that was Renamon said out loud, resulting in a pointed glare from Dukemon.

“So are we doing this, or…”

Sakuyamon grinned and scooped up Jenrya and an indignant Terriermon. “Hell yeah.”

Just on time, Giga Seadramon slammed into the plane and sent it tumbling to the side, engine sputtering as if on its last breaths. Dukemon raised their glowing shield and pointed it at the back side wall of the cabin. “I can’t believe this is happening.” And then, “ **FINAL ELYSIAN!** ”

The rest happened in a split second. Dukemon’s attack punctured through the hull in a perfect, shield-sized shape, followed immediately by a eardrum-popping rush of air and the violent, hurricane-like pull of the de-pressurized outside. In Sakuyamon’s arms Jen was screaming, his voice drowned out by the wind, blood trickling from his ears— holding onto Terriermon so tightly as the he was pulled towards the hole, his giant ears whipping violently—

And then Sakuyamon gave into the pressure and half jumped, half was sucked out of the airplane, into the air, 30,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean. Jen and Terriermon were glowing now and they dropped the pair frantically, racing after the plane just as Saint Galgomon exploded into being behind them.

Sakuyamon braced themselves against the rush of displaced air as the massive Ultimate caught up with them. In the air, they were surprisingly nimble. “Where’s Metal Seadra—”

Their words were cut off as something serpentine slammed into the side of the plane in front of their eyes. Giga Seadramon’s tail whipped around the tail, hit something— in a small burst of flames, the last engine fell away and spiraled to the ground.

 _Shit,_ Sakuyamon thought, then charged towards the air and raised their staff at the offending digimon. “Jen, Terriermon— Get the plane NOW! **IZUNA!** ” Four fox spirits exploded from the staff, imbued with Ruki’s fear and anger, and Renamon’s unwavering confidence, and Sakuyamon’s overbearing need to protect _every single soul_ trapped in the plummeting metal deathtrap. The fox spirits pierced forward and wrapped around Giga Seadramon, prying it into the open air.

“ **SKY WAVE!”** the digimon snarled as the cannons on its back charged brighter. Sakuyamon braced themselves for the attack, only to see dozens of incoming missiles explode veer away— straight towards Saint Galgomon and the plane. The shaman watched, frozen as Terriermon and Jen turned, shielded the plane with their body— absorbed the attack— disappeared in a shock of fire and smoke.

 _Shit. SHIT,_ they thought again (and winced as the part that was Renamon reprimanded them for swearing)— and, convincing themselves that Saint Galgomon was okay, everyone was okay, they dashed towards the enemy. The serpent roared, thrashed its tail and spat beams of energy— they dodged and sprinted higher, higher, drawing the enemy’s fire away from the airplane. 

And then Giga Seadramon opened its horrible mouth wide, wider than should have been possible; deep inside its throat something was _glowing_ , brighter and brighter, charged with energy, increasing exponentially. The digimon didn’t hide its attack, it wasn’t playing games. No, it wanted Sakuyamon to stare it down, to face their inevitable obliteration. Luckily, this was exactly what Sakuyamon wanted.

Just as the cannon finished charging, ready to be released, the shaman summoned energy and whispered their own attack: “ **Kongoukai Mandara.”** Geometric light exploded from their staff, intricate and three-dimensional— a crystal lattice formed by pure energy. The lattice covered Giga Seadramon’s mouth, binding it. The cannon exploded. Giga Seadramon disintegrated in a brilliant, overwhelming shockwave of heat and light. 

Sakuyamon watched the data dissipate into the open sky. Felt the digimon’s consciousness scream as it fragmented and drifted away. Even as the shaman raced away, towards the speck of Saint Galgomon and the airplane, Dukemon, the countless frightened lives trapped inside-- that scream remained in their mind.

\--

They were, of course, over the Pacific Ocean, which was quite unfortunate for exhausted Saint Galgomon ferrying the plane, and exhausted Dukemon keeping the plane from exploding, and exhausted Sakuyamon ignoring the dead digimon’s screams. By some miracle (or, more likely, digignome) Saint Galgomon spotted the Hawai’ian island chain and brought the airplane down, gently, in a volcanic field outside of Hilo.

As soon as they were certain the plane was stable, Saint Galgomon melted apart onto the rocky ground. Sakuyamon followed their lead and then Ruki sprawled there, every bone in her body aching. Renamon braced herself for a moment, shuddered, then glowed and shrank down to Viximon. Ruki was vaguely aware of movement around her, people shouting and crying— the sun beamed down on her, so _warm_ , and she pulled Viximon in and let her eyes fall, her mind drift away. Still, in that final instant before sleep, all Ruki could see was Giga Seadramon’s body ripping apart.

She woke up in a hospital bed, surrounded by beeping monitors and white curtains. Viximon was there, cuddled up next to her; when the doctors appeared and started fussing over her, she learned she’d been asleep for almost two days. 

Takato and Guilmon woke up next, followed by Jenrya and Terriermon. At this point the press was all but banging on the doors of the hospital and some U.S. Government suits wanted them in for questioning. Their luggage and phones were still being picked out of the wreckage, but luckily Jen had the phone number for the Hypnos lawyer memorized (“You never know when it might come in handy!”). A couple of heated conversations later and the Tamers were able to leave the hospital with minimal difficulty.

They could have hopped on a plane right then, flown off to Jen’s college orientation in California— but when Yamaki called and offered them a “well deserved vacation”, the decision was unanimous. Hypnos found a remote lodge, out on the west side of the island— far away cities, lights, and, most importantly people. Most of the passengers from the flight were gone by now, but the three valued anonymity far too much to risk it. 

Speaking of the passengers… they all survived. Hell, the worse injury anyone got was a mild concussion from the turbulence. According to Yamaki the CEO of the airline was so happy she made a personal trip to Shinjuku to thank the Tamers. Or thank Hypnos, at least. And poor Yamaki was probably scrambling, trying to figure out why a Giga Seadramon appeared in the middle of the Pacific Ocean…

“You know, all of the older students say New Student Orientation is really fun. They _really_ hype it up for the freshmen.”

Ruki glanced over at Jenrya, sprawled on the sand. He was gazing out over the ocean; in the dusk, his expression was unreadable. “Well it’s only… what… Thursday? Friday? You still have a few days before classes start.” 

His gaze stayed fixed, but his voice was lighter: “Yeah, I guess. It’s not like everyone’s gonna make friends without me…”

She tensed up involuntarily. “Totally.” Yeah, totally. He was looking at her now, why was he looking at her-- “Umm, or maybe no one will be your friend, and you’ll just have to hang out with Terriermon all day—”

“YEAH, HE WISHES!” called Terriermon from somewhere on the tree line, and Ruki cursed his big ears.

“Hey, Ruki.” Jen shifted his eyes to the sand, let it fall between his fingers. “I’m not gonna forget you. You know that, right?”

Her mind went blank. _Say something, SAY SOMETHING_ — “Well duh, I mean, if you forgot about us I’d be seriously concerned about your brain health.”

His shoulders slumped and he pawed at the sand. “No, I mean… Like, sure, I’ll probably make new friends and I’ll be really far from home but I’m not gonna just _replace_ you or something.” His eyes widened. “But also if you want to replace me you totally can! Like, I want you to live your life and not worry about me!”

This version of Jenrya was different than what Ruki had seen before— he was awkward and nervous and so _not_ self-assured. It caught her of guard so she responded in the only way she knew how.

“Why would I worry about you?” Ruki snapped— why did she _snap_? “I mean, you’re gonna do great in school, you’re studying with _Dolphin_ for godssake, you’re friendly and cute and everyone’s gonna love you—” She shut her mouth suddenly, gasped. _Gotta save face—_ “And I’m sure you’ll find a smart, cute girlfriend and it’ll be great. Great.”

“Oh,” Jen said. “I guess.” There was a long pause, and Ruki once again found herself wishing she could disappear. He shuffled nervously, started to his feet. And then, suddenly, as if released in some huge exhale, awkward Jen was gone. He smiled down at her— the same way he smiled at Takato. “It’s getting late, I’m gonna walk back.”

He reached down a hand to help her up— just like any friend would. In the darkness, Ruki cursed the tears forming in her eyes. Jen drew the hand back, shrugged, turned around. “Suit yourself, I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“WAIT!” she yelped— god, why did she _do_ that— 

He stopped, bare feet steady on the sand. Glanced back. “Whats up?”

_Gotta save face gotta save face gotta—_ “Umm, wanna make out?” _Shit._ A pause, the longest pause in all of existence— “Or not, that’s also okay—”

“You want to make out. With me.”

“Oh, well, you know, it’s whatever...”

Jen was staring down at her now, his gray eyes wide in the moonlight. His mouth was doing something weird, like he really wanted to smile and was trying not to. “I mean, if you want to… hell yeah?”

When her smile split his did too, wide and unhindered; she grabbed his wrist and pulled him onto the sand. The first kiss was mutual, tentative; the next, playful; the next, deep and passionate. When they stopped for a breather she took him by the shoulders, examined him. Arms, chest, knees, forehead, ears; she’d seen them all before, of course, but now it was different— now she could _touch_ them and _kiss_ them and breath in their scent.

Jen just gazed at her, giddy, still trying to push back that stupid, lopsided grin and failing so miserably. “I can’t believe I get to make out with Ruki Makino.”

She pulled him close and leaned in, let her face fall into the crevice of his neck. “You think that’s cool? _I_ get to make out with _Jenrya Lee!_ ”

Then they kissed again and again until they fell asleep, a tangle of limbs under the night sky. The next morning, Jen asked Ruki if she wanted to be “ like, boyfriend-girlfriend or something”. She said sure. They got on a flight to California a few hours later, and it wasn’t so bad this time. Sure, there was the fact that the worst-case scenario had already happened on the previous flight, and that they’d gotten through that okay… but there was something more as well. This time, she didn’t _need_ a reason to hold Jen’s hand.


End file.
